Steel City Blitz

It never gets old telling you “good morning” following a Steelers’ victory.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are your 2017 AFC North Champions following their 39-38 win over Baltimore.

Remember when people wondered if Ben Roethlisberger was washed up following that five-pick game against Jacksonville? 506 yards and no turnovers against a defense that had been creating a ton of them.

Let me get this out of the way right now… the officiating was bad last night for both teams. The most egregious calls came on pass interference plays. Much like the NFL struggles with what a “catch” is, they are clearly struggling with what pass interference is as well. My understanding is that there is to be no contact after five yards. Ya, that’s only the beginning of the problems.

Chris Boswell. Never thought we’d see such a clutch kicker at Heinz Field. Just tremendous.

Tweet of the Day #1… This is awesome. Juju watched the game from home… While wearing his helmet the whole time.

Huge game for Jesse James and it couldn’t have come at a better time. With no JuJu Smith-Schuster, he provided Big Ben with an outlet all night long. Vance McDonald I could not feel worse for… He made some really nice plays out of the gate but left with a shoulder injury.

I think we are all holding our collective breath today. Le’Veon Bell did not quite look the same when he returned from that shot to his knee. I’m hoping it’s nothing.

Martavis Bryant looked like anything but a kick returner last night. Not sure what happened but he looked so good last week and then… Not so much. I expect JuJu to resume that responsibility.

Does Antonio Brown “push off?” Yes, he does and on rare occasion it gets called. That said, for all the hand-fighting that officials allow outside the five yard area I see no reason for him to stop doing it.

The Steelers’ offensive line was very good last night in protecting Ben Roethlisberger. There were a few pressures and sacks but when your QB drops back 70+ times that’s going to happen. My bigger concern is the lack of run blocking. Ben Roethlisberger cannot afford to throw the ball that often especially if the defense is going to continue to struggle. Run the no huddle, take your time, get Bell going and throw off of that.

I doubt we’ll ever get any kind of serious explanation but the Steelers really botched the time management at the end of the game. While I appreciate the aggressiveness, the Steelers could have run down the clock and gotten out there on the kick rather than putting it in the hands of the beleaguered defense. Thankfully, it all worked out.

Antonio Brown likely won’t win it; no receiver ever has, but he deserves MVP consideration. I didn’t say he should win it, but if he doesn’t finish in the top 5 there’s a huge problem.

If you didn’t realize how important Ryan Shazier is to the Steelers’ defense after last night then I don’t know what to tell you. The linebackers struggled ALL night getting off blocks and getting into the proper gaps. I’m giving Sean Spence a pass since he’s been here less than a week but the rest? Gotta do better.

Sean Davis had a wonderful interception early in the game but that cannot mask his horrific tackling and poor coverage last night. And what in the hell was he doing on the sidelines standing there while Arthur Moats needed help with the tackle?

Much credit to Eli Rogers. He made some very solid catches last night to keep the sticks moving.

Stephon Tuitt is not getting the push we are used to seeing. Wonder if he isn’t hurt?

Do you realize how big that win was last night? A loss would have put the Steelers only a game ahead of Jacksonville who owns the tie-breaker with Pittsburgh. With New England coming in, the Steelers could have found themselves being a third seed quite easily.

Speaking of New England, it’s now Patriots’ week. Feel free to discuss.

Have a great day Steeler Nation!

SCB Steelers’ Quick Hitters: The “Morning After Vol. 13” Edition was last modified: December 11th, 2017 by steeldad

On this episode of the Steel City Blitz Podcast Ben and Chris joined me to break down the Steelers’ last-second win over Green Bay. What worked and what didn’t on both sides of the ball and why. We also look ahead to the Steelers’ Monday night matchup with the Bengals in Cincinnati.

As always, the podcast is presented by 26shirts.com/Pittsburgh. Visit the site for the latest Steelers-themed shirt featuring T.J. Watt! $8 from every sale goes to a worthy cause in Pittsburgh.

Steel City Blitz Podcast Episode 49 presented by 26shirts.com/Pittsburgh was last modified: November 29th, 2017 by steeldad

Perhaps the opening kickoff return was a spark. Maybe it was the frustration of dropping what could have been a touchdown. One way or another, is it fair to say that Martavis Bryant has finally turned the corner in 2017? Part of it could also be that JuJu Smith-Schuster wasn’t on the field too but either way, there were glimpses of the Bryant we’ve seen before. Bryant was targeted six ties and ended up with four receptions for 40 yards but he also grabbed a touchdown pass. He looked more confident and was more active as a blocker than I’ve seen him too. If he has indeed progressed then watch out.

The players are off today. Mike Tomlin’s press conference will be held at Noon Eastern.

We’ll be recording the Steel City Blitz Podcast presented by 26shirts.com/Pittsburgh tonight. I sense a rant or two coming…

Looking back at the tape, Chris Hubbard did a very nice job in game one of his four game tour in place of the suspended Marcus Gilbert. He did not lack for aggressiveness in the run game an moved well in pass protection.

There is great debate in the Steeler Nation over how to deal with the coming game with the Patriots. Here’s my two cents… I understand that Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have essentially owned the Steelers. Not accepting that is not paying attention. I do not however, like that Mike Tomlin is already talking about them. We play them in three weeks. Not next week or the week after. If I’m the Bengals and especially the Ravens, I LOVE that the Steelers are already looking ahead. It’s my opinion that we should discuss the Patriots when they are the opponent that week and not a damn second before.

If you thought waiting all day for Sunday night was tough… Now we get the Bengals on Monday night. Ugh.

The ‘brawl’ that occurred in Oakland Sunday was disgusting and that kind of crap is right up there with the actions of Vontaze Burfict but at least Michael Crabtree and Aqib Talib didn’t try to disguise what they were doing. Either way, I’m not sure the two game suspension is enough.

Have a great Tuesday Steeler Nation!

SCB Steelers’ Quick Hitters: The “Has Marty Turned the Corner?” Edition was last modified: November 28th, 2017 by steeldad

One of the things we heard from more than a couple of Steelers over the bye week was that they felt it may have come too early. Too early? It couldn’t have come at a better time right? Right, dead-center in the middle of the season should be perfect! That was not what they were talking about though. They felt like the team was on a roll after wins in Kansas City and Detroit with a win over Cincinnati at home in the middle. Momentum is huge in sports. Fans know it, coaches know it and so to do the players. I see no reason however why the Steelers can’t pick up where they left off. The Colts’ defense is not good and that’s being nice and the offense is fairly limited. This needs to be a win above all else Sunday but a convincing win would be even better.

On the injury front… James Harrison did not practice yesterday for the second straight day. He’s suffering from back spasms. Mike Mitchell was again limited in practice with an Achilles’ issue.

Speaking of Achilles’ injuries… Richard Sherman went down for the season last night when he ruptured his in the Seahawks’ win over Arizona. Sherman is often a polarizing figure but you can’t deny his skills or his durability. When the team takes the field next week it will be his first game missed in his career which dates back to 2011.

Also in that game, Russell Wilson was sent off for a concussion test which he clearly was caught on camera NOT getting. Seattle will be fined for this and the NFL will take a serious PR hit because it again makes it look like they aren’t taking player safety as seriously as they claim to be.

Enjoy the game on Sunday Steeler Nation!

SCB Steelers’ Quick Hitters: The “Picking Up Where We Left Off” Edition was last modified: November 10th, 2017 by steeldad

Our “Nevahbeen” contest is now in its’ final phase. Our three finalists have submitted their one minute videos and it’s up to you, Steeler Nation, to vote for the winner!

First, let me explain how we got here. Anyone who has never been to Heinz Field to see the Steelers play was eligible to tweet at us why they should be given tickets to the home finale this season. The staff here at SCB pulled from a group of over 100 entries three finalists. These three have submitted videos explaining why they should be the winner based on their love of the Steelers.

The winner will receive:

-2 tickets to the Steelers’ final home game against the Cleveland Browns

-lodging for one night

-$100 gift card

-A signed Le’Veon Bell Jersey courtesy of Brett Kostoff

-A Troy Polamalu Jersey courtesy of Jim Racalto

In no particular order, here are the videos!! Voting takes place below the videos!

I can’t lie here; things seem too good to be true don’t they? Like the stars are aligning perfectly for a Super Bowl run? The Steelers have five of their remaining eight games at home and teams that once looked challenging look less so because of injuries. What’s scary is that the Steelers seem to thrive more when their backs are against the wall. So many people have put all of the team’s eggs into the home-field basket that I wonder just what we could be setting ourselves up for… I’m hoping nothing and that this team rises to the challenge!

Steelers’ Head Coach Mike Tomlin didn’t reveal anything Earth-shattering during his first presser in two weeks. Martavis Bryant being involved in the week 10 gameplan is not a surprise. I expect him to be back on the field in his usual position and trying to do his usual things. He’s done a good job of getting off of social media but I can’t say the same for his girlfriend however.

The Steelers are 6-4 under Mike Tomlin following the bye week. That’s not great but I still expect a win over the Colts.

Despite not playing last week, Antonio Brown still leads the league in receiving yards by 133 yards over T.Y. Hilton who the Steelers will face this week.

The whole Deion Sanders-Tony Romo thing has been funny this week. Romo said that Chiefs’ CB Marcus Peters likes to tackle less than Deion did which got ‘PrimeTime’ all upset. He retorted by saying “Romo has never won anything.” I think this is a draw. He’s right; Romo never did win anything but Romo wasn’t wrong when he said Deion didn’t like to tackle. He made his living as a cover man plain and simple. Both men need to return to their corners.

A report on Pro Football Talk says the Giants have told their scouts to start scouting college quarterbacks. Every team, regardless of who their current quarterback is, scouts QBs EVERY year. This item is so unworthy of being a news bite it isn’t even funny.

Uncle Ed Chat point of the Day…

CK: Good to see Troy at the USC game (with Ju Ju) – does the blood still run cold with the Steeler organization?Ed Bouchette: I haven’t seen him anywhere near the Steelers facility nor at Heinz Field, so I’d guess yes.

Like it or not, this is true. Polamalu did not leave the Steelers on good terms and there are several people to blame for that.

Marcus Gilbert’s hamstring is going to be problematic for the remainder of the season. He says he will play on Sunday but don’t be surprised if he’s limited in the number of snaps he gets.

SCB Steelers’ Quick Hitters: The “Stars Aligning” Edition was last modified: November 8th, 2017 by steeldad

On this episode of the Steel City Blitz Podcast presented by 26shirts.com/Pittsburgh I was joined by our WPIAL expert Ian who broke down brackets in all six WPIAL classifications. From 6A to 1A, Ian goes through each one and gives you his predictions on who comes out on top.

As always the podcast is presented by 26shirts.com/Pittsburgh. Visit the site for the latest Pittsburgh-themed shirt!

Steel City Blitz Podcast WPIAL Playoff Preview was last modified: November 2nd, 2017 by steeldad

If you thought football players didn’t get into the Halloween spirit then you couldn’t be more wrong. Several Steelers (some current, some former) got into the act and shared through social media. Here’s a compilation of our “Tweets of the Day….”

The trade deadline came and passed in Pittsburgh with no action from the Steelers. There were phone calls regarding Martavis Bryant but those have been ongoing for the last two weeks. The Lions were the most interested if you are curious.

I try very hard to be as nice as I can to the fans of the Cleveland Browns because they really are gluttons for punishment. But after yesterday, what more can really be said? The Browns had a trade in place with Cincinnati for A.J. McCarron in exchange for two draft picks. The Bengals executed their portion of the trade at 3:55pm or, five minutes before the deadline. The Browns, apparently not realizing that time does indeed NOT stop, did not get their portion of the trade into the league office until 4:05 or, five minutes AFTER the deadline. Thus, the trade did not go through. As we say around SCB, Because. Cleveland.

It’s pretty incredible when you see some of the numbers accumulated by Le’Veon Bell. His name is bow associated with guys like Eric Dickerson. Can you imagine where he’d be had not been injured and been suspended? We are talking astronomical-type numbers.

Salty Uncle Ed comment of the Week (courtesy post-gazette.com):

Tom: Does anyone monitor the Steelers lifting workouts during the season so Tuitt type injuries that last nearly a month don’t occur?Ed Bouchette: It seems as though they should hire you to do that since you know that’s why it did occur

Like some other beat writers, Ed gets upset when people outside of himself actually “know things” about the Steelers that ONLY he should know. Whether or not Tuitt was injured lifting weights doesn’t matter. Bouchette’s response is arrogant and condescending.

Must be cranky about the BYE week…

Have a great day Steeler Nation!

SCB Steelers’ Quick Hitters: The “Halloween Recap” Edition was last modified: November 1st, 2017 by steeldad